WEBVTT
1
00:00:00.070 --> 00:00:03.850
College and university life is usually the first experience most
2
00:00:03.910 --> 00:00:07.040
people have when they are out on their own. Whether
3
00:00:07.099 --> 00:00:11.039
it's a house share, an apartment or campus accommodation, the
4
00:00:11.060 --> 00:00:13.580
feeling of freedom and flying the nest is literally a
5
00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:17.739
once-in-a-lifetime event. Your family can be close or far away,
6
00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:20.500
but either way they are not on hand to offer
7
00:00:20.570 --> 00:00:24.570
advice and comfort as they once were. In many ways
8
00:00:24.589 --> 00:00:27.649
this is almost an exercise of fortitude if not a
9
00:00:27.710 --> 00:00:31.539
rite of passage. It can include occasions when even the
10
00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:36.700
closest of families aren't enough. When Sarah was in university,
11
00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:38.719
she'd been lucky enough to get a room on campus.
12
00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.820
This meant she was close enough for lectures, but far
13
00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:45.920
enough away to enjoy life. The university was an old one,
14
00:00:45.979 --> 00:00:49.649
built centuries before, and thus, within its walls, the events
15
00:00:49.710 --> 00:00:53.609
of those past decades were imprinted on the corridors and rooms.
16
00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:58.240
The vintage building and its centuries-old architecture hosted a new
17
00:00:58.299 --> 00:01:02.119
generation of students, making the most of the logical mix.
18
00:01:03.659 --> 00:01:06.189
It was Thresher's week, and those who want to enjoy
19
00:01:06.209 --> 00:01:09.689
it are out, and the dormitory is quiet. The sound
20
00:01:09.730 --> 00:01:11.890
of the wind in the trees and the occasional car
21
00:01:11.950 --> 00:01:16.230
passing are the only aural stimulations. Sarah had stayed in
22
00:01:16.269 --> 00:01:19.969
her room, not knowing anyone, watching carefully her money and
23
00:01:20.010 --> 00:01:23.129
being shy. The big party was just not for her.
24
00:01:24.069 --> 00:01:26.870
She might attend one later in the week, but tonight
25
00:01:26.969 --> 00:01:31.510
was for settling in, for finding her feet. It was
26
00:01:31.549 --> 00:01:33.790
around twenty past ten when she heard a knocking at
27
00:01:33.849 --> 00:01:36.590
her door. She got up from her desk and opened
28
00:01:36.609 --> 00:01:40.890
the door. The corridor was empty. Somebody was playing a plank,
29
00:01:40.939 --> 00:01:44.599
she thought. Yes, Russia's week was like that, and her
30
00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:47.420
staying away from the parties made her an easy target.
31
00:01:48.379 --> 00:01:51.900
She closed the door again, not finding it remotely amusing.
32
00:01:53.030 --> 00:01:55.109
She returned to her book, and then there was another
33
00:01:55.150 --> 00:01:59.150
set of knocks. She wearily got up, complaining that this
34
00:01:59.209 --> 00:02:03.099
was not funny, and opened the door once more. Again
35
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:06.879
the silent, empty landing was all that lay beyond. She
36
00:02:06.980 --> 00:02:09.319
sighed and closed the door again, but no sooner had
37
00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:12.379
she turned the lock than the knocks repeated once more.
38
00:02:13.379 --> 00:02:15.530
In seconds she had the door opened, but once again
39
00:02:15.590 --> 00:02:18.490
the same silence greeted her.' This isn't funny, you know,'
40
00:02:18.469 --> 00:02:22.229
she called out, her voice reverberating off the walls without reply.
41
00:02:23.270 --> 00:02:25.430
Nobody could have made it up and down those corridors
42
00:02:25.490 --> 00:02:30.699
without her seeing them, or hearing their steps. She closed
43
00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:33.800
the door and sat back down at her desk. She paused,
44
00:02:33.860 --> 00:02:37.020
considering if there was any way somebody could have knocked
45
00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:40.080
on her door and got away without her seeing. She
46
00:02:40.139 --> 00:02:44.060
reasoned there must be, otherwise it wouldn't have happened. The
47
00:02:44.090 --> 00:02:47.330
girl next door had gone to Thresh's, otherwise she'd have
48
00:02:47.349 --> 00:02:49.770
gone round there. Alice had been a boon, she'd helped
49
00:02:49.810 --> 00:02:53.009
her moved in and been company. But she'd gone to
50
00:02:53.050 --> 00:02:55.849
the party after an unsuccessful attempt to try and persuade
51
00:02:55.909 --> 00:02:58.789
Sarah to join her. It would have been comforting to
52
00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:03.840
know that she was next door. It was about now
53
00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:06.240
that she heard a knocking from the wall that separated
54
00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:11.099
their rooms, like somebody knocking on the door. Ah, she thought,
55
00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:14.340
that would be Alice, and carrying on the little game.
56
00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.000
In fact, it was exactly the same knocks that were
57
00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:19.500
at the door that made her think that way. She
58
00:03:19.539 --> 00:03:21.550
smiled and walked to the wall and knocked it back.
59
00:03:21.590 --> 00:03:24.729
There followed around ten minutes of knocks, back and forth,
60
00:03:25.189 --> 00:03:29.250
mimicking each other. She even heard a muffled laugh next door,
61
00:03:29.710 --> 00:03:33.229
a kind of childish giggle, which Alice was notable for.
62
00:03:34.289 --> 00:03:37.169
But the game started to pall, and Sarah said, Enough now,
63
00:03:37.229 --> 00:03:42.349
and the knocking, with one final thud, stopped. At that
64
00:03:42.409 --> 00:03:45.449
point there was a knock at the door. Sarah wearily
65
00:03:45.490 --> 00:03:47.610
got up and answered it, and to her surprise Alice
66
00:03:47.629 --> 00:03:50.599
was stood there, She was pleased to see her, and
67
00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:53.000
said Alice knocking on her wall had made her feel
68
00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:58.169
oddly comfortable. Alice looked alarmed. I've only just come back.
69
00:03:58.469 --> 00:04:00.370
I've just left the party. I wondered if you'd changed
70
00:04:00.389 --> 00:04:02.550
your mind about wanting to come. I've not even unlocked
71
00:04:02.569 --> 00:04:06.590
my door, she said. With trepidation the pair of them
72
00:04:06.669 --> 00:04:10.509
opened the door. The lights were out, but when illuminated
73
00:04:10.550 --> 00:04:13.189
there was nobody there. The window was secure, and there
74
00:04:13.219 --> 00:04:15.500
was no way somebody could have left that room without
75
00:04:15.539 --> 00:04:20.279
them seeing. Subsequent inquiries showed nobody entering or leaving the
76
00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:22.740
building at the time of the knocking, no activity on
77
00:04:22.779 --> 00:04:25.689
the landings apart from Sarah peering up and down a
78
00:04:25.709 --> 00:04:29.310
corridor from her room, and a number of other stories
79
00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:30.560
of a similar nature.
1
00:00:00.070 --> 00:00:03.850
College and university life is usually the first experience most
2
00:00:03.910 --> 00:00:07.040
people have when they are out on their own. Whether
3
00:00:07.099 --> 00:00:11.039
it's a house share, an apartment or campus accommodation, the
4
00:00:11.060 --> 00:00:13.580
feeling of freedom and flying the nest is literally a
5
00:00:13.679 --> 00:00:17.739
once-in-a-lifetime event. Your family can be close or far away,
6
00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:20.500
but either way they are not on hand to offer
7
00:00:20.570 --> 00:00:24.570
advice and comfort as they once were. In many ways
8
00:00:24.589 --> 00:00:27.649
this is almost an exercise of fortitude if not a
9
00:00:27.710 --> 00:00:31.539
rite of passage. It can include occasions when even the
10
00:00:31.600 --> 00:00:36.700
closest of families aren't enough. When Sarah was in university,
11
00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:38.719
she'd been lucky enough to get a room on campus.
12
00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.820
This meant she was close enough for lectures, but far
13
00:00:41.920 --> 00:00:45.920
enough away to enjoy life. The university was an old one,
14
00:00:45.979 --> 00:00:49.649
built centuries before, and thus, within its walls, the events
15
00:00:49.710 --> 00:00:53.609
of those past decades were imprinted on the corridors and rooms.
16
00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:58.240
The vintage building and its centuries-old architecture hosted a new
17
00:00:58.299 --> 00:01:02.119
generation of students, making the most of the logical mix.
18
00:01:03.659 --> 00:01:06.189
It was Thresher's week, and those who want to enjoy
19
00:01:06.209 --> 00:01:09.689
it are out, and the dormitory is quiet. The sound
20
00:01:09.730 --> 00:01:11.890
of the wind in the trees and the occasional car
21
00:01:11.950 --> 00:01:16.230
passing are the only aural stimulations. Sarah had stayed in
22
00:01:16.269 --> 00:01:19.969
her room, not knowing anyone, watching carefully her money and
23
00:01:20.010 --> 00:01:23.129
being shy. The big party was just not for her.
24
00:01:24.069 --> 00:01:26.870
She might attend one later in the week, but tonight
25
00:01:26.969 --> 00:01:31.510
was for settling in, for finding her feet. It was
26
00:01:31.549 --> 00:01:33.790
around twenty past ten when she heard a knocking at
27
00:01:33.849 --> 00:01:36.590
her door. She got up from her desk and opened
28
00:01:36.609 --> 00:01:40.890
the door. The corridor was empty. Somebody was playing a plank,
29
00:01:40.939 --> 00:01:44.599
she thought. Yes, Russia's week was like that, and her
30
00:01:44.640 --> 00:01:47.420
staying away from the parties made her an easy target.
31
00:01:48.379 --> 00:01:51.900
She closed the door again, not finding it remotely amusing.
32
00:01:53.030 --> 00:01:55.109
She returned to her book, and then there was another
33
00:01:55.150 --> 00:01:59.150
set of knocks. She wearily got up, complaining that this
34
00:01:59.209 --> 00:02:03.099
was not funny, and opened the door once more. Again
35
00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:06.879
the silent, empty landing was all that lay beyond. She
36
00:02:06.980 --> 00:02:09.319
sighed and closed the door again, but no sooner had
37
00:02:09.360 --> 00:02:12.379
she turned the lock than the knocks repeated once more.
38
00:02:13.379 --> 00:02:15.530
In seconds she had the door opened, but once again
39
00:02:15.590 --> 00:02:18.490
the same silence greeted her.' This isn't funny, you know,'
40
00:02:18.469 --> 00:02:22.229
she called out, her voice reverberating off the walls without reply.
41
00:02:23.270 --> 00:02:25.430
Nobody could have made it up and down those corridors
42
00:02:25.490 --> 00:02:30.699
without her seeing them, or hearing their steps. She closed
43
00:02:30.740 --> 00:02:33.800
the door and sat back down at her desk. She paused,
44
00:02:33.860 --> 00:02:37.020
considering if there was any way somebody could have knocked
45
00:02:37.099 --> 00:02:40.080
on her door and got away without her seeing. She
46
00:02:40.139 --> 00:02:44.060
reasoned there must be, otherwise it wouldn't have happened. The
47
00:02:44.090 --> 00:02:47.330
girl next door had gone to Thresh's, otherwise she'd have
48
00:02:47.349 --> 00:02:49.770
gone round there. Alice had been a boon, she'd helped
49
00:02:49.810 --> 00:02:53.009
her moved in and been company. But she'd gone to
50
00:02:53.050 --> 00:02:55.849
the party after an unsuccessful attempt to try and persuade
51
00:02:55.909 --> 00:02:58.789
Sarah to join her. It would have been comforting to
52
00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:03.840
know that she was next door. It was about now
53
00:03:03.860 --> 00:03:06.240
that she heard a knocking from the wall that separated
54
00:03:06.300 --> 00:03:11.099
their rooms, like somebody knocking on the door. Ah, she thought,
55
00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:14.340
that would be Alice, and carrying on the little game.
56
00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:17.000
In fact, it was exactly the same knocks that were
57
00:03:17.060 --> 00:03:19.500
at the door that made her think that way. She
58
00:03:19.539 --> 00:03:21.550
smiled and walked to the wall and knocked it back.
59
00:03:21.590 --> 00:03:24.729
There followed around ten minutes of knocks, back and forth,
60
00:03:25.189 --> 00:03:29.250
mimicking each other. She even heard a muffled laugh next door,
61
00:03:29.710 --> 00:03:33.229
a kind of childish giggle, which Alice was notable for.
62
00:03:34.289 --> 00:03:37.169
But the game started to pall, and Sarah said, Enough now,
63
00:03:37.229 --> 00:03:42.349
and the knocking, with one final thud, stopped. At that
64
00:03:42.409 --> 00:03:45.449
point there was a knock at the door. Sarah wearily
65
00:03:45.490 --> 00:03:47.610
got up and answered it, and to her surprise Alice
66
00:03:47.629 --> 00:03:50.599
was stood there, She was pleased to see her, and
67
00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:53.000
said Alice knocking on her wall had made her feel
68
00:03:53.379 --> 00:03:58.169
oddly comfortable. Alice looked alarmed. I've only just come back.
69
00:03:58.469 --> 00:04:00.370
I've just left the party. I wondered if you'd changed
70
00:04:00.389 --> 00:04:02.550
your mind about wanting to come. I've not even unlocked
71
00:04:02.569 --> 00:04:06.590
my door, she said. With trepidation the pair of them
72
00:04:06.669 --> 00:04:10.509
opened the door. The lights were out, but when illuminated
73
00:04:10.550 --> 00:04:13.189
there was nobody there. The window was secure, and there
74
00:04:13.219 --> 00:04:15.500
was no way somebody could have left that room without
75
00:04:15.539 --> 00:04:20.279
them seeing. Subsequent inquiries showed nobody entering or leaving the
76
00:04:20.319 --> 00:04:22.740
building at the time of the knocking, no activity on
77
00:04:22.779 --> 00:04:25.689
the landings apart from Sarah peering up and down a
78
00:04:25.709 --> 00:04:29.310
corridor from her room, and a number of other stories
79
00:04:29.439 --> 00:04:30.560
of a similar nature.
